Here Fido...

Everyone and their grandma knows about guard dogs, right? But what if you don't want a dog? Or maybe you're allergic to dogs?

Here are some creative solutions if you need an alternative to dogs to guard your property and or livestock.

Geese

Using geese to guard the farm is an old technique. The reason they are so good, is that thanks to their stellar eyesight they spot intruders easily and then they get very loud, alerting you. Should an intruder desire to bribe the geese, they get excited and equally loud. So a no win situation for trespassers.

Donkeys and Llamas

These animals aren't that good at keeping away humans, though they can do so in a pinch, but they are wonderful at keeping foxes and coyotes away from your livestock. Donkeys charge ferociously with hooves and teeth and they get so angry that their owners can't even go near until they calm down.

Llamas are nicer to people, unless it's an un-castrated male, in which case it will likely become over protective of it's “herd” even if the herd is not even mammalian.

Wolves

If you want guard dogs, but something more dramatic, do what some villages in Kazakhstan does: get wolf cubs and hand rear them to be guards. The villagers treat the wolves like dogs, and as long as they are fed, they remain calm. Some experts are skeptical however, as a wolf is never 100% tame.

Alligators and Crocodiles

Some drug dealers in the U.S. have been known to keep gators as guards for their drug stashes. The upside is that the gators ignore the drugs, the downside is that they can't be trained and remain dangerous for their owners.

The head of the Indonesian drug enforcement program, fed up with corruption has decided to build a prison surrounded by crocodiles, as they are even harder to bribe than geese. His initiative has been met with skepticism, which is understandable, but points for thinking outside the box.

Dolphins and Sea lions

Both are used and trained by the U.S. Navy to guard ships against divers and in the case of the dolphins, find mines.

Snakes

Apparently, many people in South Africa has taken to guarding their homes and businesses with snakes, ranging from brown house snakes to boa constrictors. Even if there are no snakes, signs stating Beware of Snakes can be found in many places.

Well, that's that, join me again next time and until then, have a great week!